Weaknesses or Tools for the Kingdom?

I mentioned in my last post that I am not the best at knowing big words. For a long time, it was a big insecurity of mine because it made me feel like I wasn’t as smart as I’m “supposed” to be. I considered it a weakness because I wouldn’t get good grades on my papers in school and because I often felt like I was the only one in a conversation that didn’t understand what was just said.

I remember telling a mentor that I wasn’t good at writing because I never did well on papers and that I didn’t do well on papers because I always struggled to understand the textbooks or because my papers didn’t use intelligent language. She asked me “So are you not good at writing because one teacher told you weren’t? Because from where I am sitting, you communicate very well through your writing.” That shifted my thinking a lot when it came to how I write and the words I use in my writing.

I had been told something, possibly something that is true, but I had taken it as a weakness and allowed it to limit my work for the Kingdom. After working with her, I started looking up big words when I need to and have accepted that just because one person told me I wasn’t good at writing doesn't mean that other people won’t like my writing. So, for me to even consider writing a blog, yet alone actually doing it, is a big deal. I decided that just because I can’t write “academically” doesn’t mean I can’t write at all. I decided that sharing the things God has taught me is more important than the weakness that has become an insecurity. 

For God to take this insecurity in particular and put writing a blog on my heart reminds me of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Paul is writing about how he has been given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger from the enemy to keep him from boasting or becoming too prideful. He said he asked the Lord to take it away three different times and, “Each time, he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

We are strong when we are weak because in our weaknesses or struggles, we need to depend more on the Lord. When we depend more on the Lord, He is able to do more work than we could ever do on our own. When we only operate in our strengths, it can be very easy to then operate out of our own power. When we try to do something with a weakness, we tend to know how much more we need God which then allows Him to accomplish more than we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

“When we depend more on the Lord, He is able to do more work than we could ever do on our own.”

Me being insecure about my knowledge of words may not seem like a big deal for you, but it has been for me. Even as I am writing now, I am nervous about what you will think of my words, but maybe God can do more in this because of how much I need to depend on Him.

What if God wants to use your weakness or insecurity to reach other people for His Kingdom? What if God wants to use it to reach you? I know that for me, writing this blog has led to me spending more time with my Father and has led to Him working on, in, and through me. I believe He wants the same for you. 

What if that insecurity is a thorn in your flesh, like Paul had, because the enemy wants you to think you can’t be used by God? What if that thorn led you to a deeper dependence on God and His strength and He helped you make more of an impact than you ever thought possible? 

Many of you may know of a man named Moses. He was an Israelite but was raised in the Egyptian Pharaoh’s home which gave him a unique opportunity. He knew the struggles of the Israelites in slavery but was in a good position to do something about it. God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and out of slavery. God used him to share the Ten Commandments, to part the Red Sea, to provide water out of a rock, and so on. 

Moses did a lot of work for the Kingdom, but when God first called him in Exodus 4, he responded in verse 10 by saying, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” God reminds Moses that He is in control and that He will be with Moses when he speaks and will instruct him what to say.

In verse 13, Moses again pleads, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” God sends his brother, Aaron, to go with him for support, but tells Moses how BOTH of them will speak and that God will be with BOTH of them. He provides Moses with support but does not let this insecurity and weakness get in the way of His plan for the Kingdom. 

You may have an insecurity right now that makes you believe you cannot make a great impact or that God has called the wrong person. Let me remind you that God is with you, He will provide what you need, and His power is made perfect in your weakness. So, congratulations! God is going to use you to make a great impact for His kingdom and He will be with you the whole time.

“God is going to use you to make a great impact for His kingdom and He will be with you the whole time.”

Whatever lie the enemy has told you about your weakness, let me just say that in the name of Jesus, you are worthy, you are a child of God, and you have His Spirit within you. God can use your weakness as a tool for His Kingdom; it is time to surrender it to Him. We all have insecurities, but thank God, we are all Holy in Progress.

With love,

Erica